Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: It's powerful. It's beautiful.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a powerful phone with crazy specs.

Feb. 29, 2020

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: It's powerful. It's beautiful.

Of the three phones in Samsung's Galaxy S20 family, it's easy to understand why someone would immediately gravitate towards the S20 Ultra.

For starters, it comes equipped with a 6.9-inch display, 108-megapixel camera sensor, 5G modem, and a 5,000mAh battery — and that's only a fraction of what it offers.

The S20 Ultra also comes with Samsung's Space Zoom, which combines optic zoom technology with AI-powered digital zoom, making the handset capable of up to 100x lossless zoom.

Yeah, that's right. You can use the Ultra to zoom up to 100x on your subject. And while the phone is definitely capable of it, I'm not sure the feature is really necessary. It's also frustrating to use at times, which I'll get to later.

While I'm certainly a fan of the high-quality images the Ultra delivers in both daylight and lowlight, such an intense camera sensor isn't necessary for everyday use.

For the Ultra, Samsung touts its improved image stabilization (compared to the Galaxy S10), 8K video recording capability, and the aforementioned 100x zoom. But these aren't the kinds of features that necessarily spring to mind as must-haves when you're taking photos to post to your Instagram Stories.

And with a starting price of US$1,400, it's also not a phone you should drop such a large amount of money on without first putting some thought behind what it is you're actually getting.

A gigantic and fragile build

Aesthetically, the S20 Ultra doesn't look all that different from its predecessors, but you can certainly tell the design has received a face lift. Samsung has done away with the line's very structured, boxy look in favor of softer curves all around.

On the right side is a power button that doubles as a Bixby button to call up Samsung's voice assistant. Right above it is the volume rocker. Meanwhile, on the bottom is a USB Type-C port. But unlike the Galaxy S10 series, Samsung has done away with the headphone jack here.

Rather than opting for a horizontal camera module that spans across the phone's back, Samsung packed the sensors into a more rectangular form factor on the left side of the phone instead. And while it looks a lot more modern, the quad-camera setup takes up a lot of the phone's rear real estate.

The camera bump also sticks out pretty far from the phone. So if you don't have a case on it, placing it on a flat surface means that it not only rests solely on the lens, but that it also rocks back and forth.

The S20 Ultra is a massive phone. In my tiny hands, it almost looks like a tablet. And in the larger hands of some of my very tall friends, it still looks way too big.

Like the rest of the Galaxy phones, the Ultra is made out of glass with metal sandwiched in between, making it very fragile.

I know that a glass finish looks and feels a lot more premium, and that it also allows for wireless charging. But I can't help but wish Samsung would have at least offered consumers a matte option or some other alternative build that's not prone to shattering.

It didn't take long for me to become increasingly frustrated maneuvering this thing. The Ultra barely fits into my coat pockets and sticks out from the back pockets of my jeans. It almost felt like I was babysitting the phone every time I picked it up, too. I had to hold it a specific way — almost always with two hands — so that I didn't accidentally drop it.

And no, I didn't put a case on the phone (which is certainly a "me" problem) because that would make the phone even thicker and heftier.

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful phone. But its size, fragility, and cost are the main reasons why I would almost prefer to stare at the phone from a distance than hold it.

Stunning and smooth display

The S20 Ultra's 6.9-inch AMOLED display (511 ppi) is stunning, offering users a Quad HD+ dynamic resolution with HDR10+.

It also comes with Samsung's "Infinity-O" display, allowing for very minimal bezels. And, unlike the S10 which features a front-facing camera on the right side, the Ultra's hole-punch selfie cam has been moved to the middle of the display.

I do prefer the hole-punch in the middle rather than to the side.

I was definitely more of a fan of the Ultra when I initially powered it up out of the box. And I think I can attribute that feeling to the fact that I'd just spent two weeks reviewing two foldable phones: the Motorola Razr and the Galaxy Z Flip. So, I felt more at ease reuniting with a large, traditional smartphone display.

Until I realized that, like its build, the screen is too damn large for my hands. For reference, the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a comparatively "smaller" 6.5-inch display, which I already thought was way too big for my hands. It's why I eventually opted for the more manageable iPhone 11 Pro instead.

I can just barely navigate the Ultra with one hand, but even still I can't reach certain things when I stretch my thumb across the screen. Eventually, I realized that the only way I could successfully use this phone was with two hands.

But that also means Samsung wasn't exaggerating about the fact that touch response rate has been improved. Because the screen is so large, I found myself accidentally tapping and triggering random things within apps or even certain letters and symbols when typing out messages at what felt like rapid freakin' speed.

Regardless, the display is still really nice, especially when set to a refresh rate of 120Hz. Out of the box, though, the display is set to 60Hz, which feels snappy as well.

That said, you'll definitely want to opt for that higher refresh rate. Scrolling through articles or timelines on Twitter and Instagram felt so swift and responsive to the touch that I really didn't want to switch back to the 60Hz default. But, unfortunately, that setting drained the battery significantly on days when I was capturing a lot of content (which, I'll get to later).

There's nothing like a 120Hz refresh rate.

As for the Ultra's in-display fingerprint sensor, well... if there were a way to test my patience, it'd be this.

Every time I'd press my finger at the bottom of the display, right on top of the print outline, it would tell me that it didn't recognize it. More often than not, I'd end up having to type in my pin.

I ultimately ended up switching back to facial recognition instead, which worked a lot better and quicker.

Stellar performance and great battery life

The Ultra features a Snapdragon 865 processor and comes in a variety of different configurations. You have the option between 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage or you can bump it up to 16GB of RAM with 512GB of storage. There's also a microSD card for up to 1TB of additional storage.

But, of course, that beefier configuration also increases the price to $1,600...which makes me cringe a bit. Considering the amount of storage filming in 8K video is going to eat up, the latter of the two storage options is certainly your best bet.

At 5,000 mAh, the Ultra packs a hefty battery. But it definitely takes a hit when you're shooting a ton of photos and videos or when the refresh rate is set to 120Hz.

The battery does take a hit when you're capturing a lot of content.

On Saturday, I took the phone off the charger at about 11:30 a.m. I sent a few messages using apps like Messenger and Telegram throughout the day, and used Google Maps a couple of times. But I mainly used the phone to test the camera. By the time I got home at 6 p.m., the phone was at about a 31-percent charge.

The next day, I wasn't as intense about taking video, but did shoot a lot of photos. I unplugged the Ultra at about noon that day and by midnight it was at 11 percent.

That 12-hour battery life is on par with what we got from the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which has a 3,969mAh battery.

With the display set to 60Hz, however, the battery lasted about three to four more hours during a typical work day. So, when I used it for apps like Slack, Gmail, Telegram, Messenger, and scrolling through social media, I'd say that I got about 15 to 16 hours each day.

While that's pretty damn good for the amount of photos and video I took, it's important to note that battery life is going to take an even greater hit if you're using the Ultra to record 4K and 8K video. In which case, you'll likely want to keep it set to that lower refresh rate.

An intense camera, with image processing to match

On the back, the Ultra has a quad-camera setup that includes a:

108-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.8 aperture
120-degree 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture
48-megapixel telephoto lens with f/3.5 aperture
Time-of-Flight sensor for depth

The sensors are up to three times larger than those in the S10, which allow them to take in more light in for better detail and clarity, regardless of the brightness of the environment.

Over the weekend, I compared the photos I took with the Galaxy S20 Ultra to the ones on the iPhone 11 Pro and came to the conclusion that I preferred the Ultra.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't have its faults. Like its buggy autofocus and tendency to over saturate photos. It also struggles to identify subjects and sharpen clearly.

The size of the phone made it even harder. Often, when I took photos with one hand, I literally couldn't tap the display to bring the camera into focus.

I'd have to put down whatever it was I was holding or take the extra step to (sometimes violently) tap the display to make sure it was focusing in on the subject.

Below are some examples of the struggle.

Since other reports of autofocus being extremely buggy have surfaced, Samsung has released a statement claiming that it's going to issue a software update to correct the issue. I'll be sure to update this story if the update fixes anything.

Meanwhile, below are a mix of wide-angle and ultra-wide angle shots. As you can see, it emphasizes certain colors.

You can see the green in the trees is a lot punchier on the Ultra. Even the browns on the dock are a lot more defined.

The differences are subtle. The iPhone 11 Pro's photos look more realistic, which is something the Ultra is capable of, but not consistently.

After comparing photos from both devices, it's clear the Ultra's results are a mixed bag depending on what you're photographing.

If your subjects are already colorful, then the Ultra does a great job of enhancing those colors. But if you're taking shots of nature or people, then it tends to overcompensate.

Of course, there are moments where over-saturation is necessary. I really like how it made oranges and yellows pop.

You can also see how well it does capturing color in the photo of the mosaic above. All of the shades look spot on with what I saw in person.

Now, onto Live Focus, which adds a bokeh effect to photos. I mention this in my camera comparison of the 11 Pro and Ultra, but the blur can get a little tricky. At times, I found that bokeh would be overkill, often bleeding into people's hair or facial features. So, you might have to adjust it to get it just right.

I definitely prefer the standard shot below to the one above. The background with Live Focus looks weirdly artificial. It also bothers me that it didn't blur out the structure behind them, which throws off the blur a bit.

I definitely prefer the standard wide-angle shot above. Meanwhile, below I compared Live Focus to Portrait Mode on the iPhone 11 Pro. The Ultra's photo looks like it's been heavily edited and my friend looks washed out. With the 11 Pro, you have a lot more room for your own changes.

And then there's selfie mode. That 40-megapixel camera felt really daunting at first. I didn't want it to show everything. But I was pleasantly surprised.

Yes, it smooths skin out to the point it looks a bit unnatural. But the internet is a scary place —if I'm uploading a selfie, then I'm probably going to edit the photo anyway.

A weird mix of smoothing and detail in selfie mode.

If you zoom into the photo, you can see my pores and some dry patches of skin. So it doesn't completely smooth everything out. But, overall, there's a good balance.

Above is a selfie I took at a dark restaurant where the only light came from tea candles and a window. It's not as crystal clear as the one taken in broad daylight.

We were also balancing the phone against a glass of water so it was a little shaky. But I think for the limited amount of light in the area, the selfie camera did a good job.

Speaking of low light, when it does autofocus, the camera delivers some nice looking shots without the help of Night mode.

Samsung says it has doubled the amount of image processing used by the Galaxy Note 10's Night mode, and it shows.

Wide-angle shot in low light without night mode.

As you can tell from the photos, Night mode really saturates certain things. The people's skin tones look lighter, the structure looks washed out, and the reds are super poppy.

And let's not forget Single Take. When Samsung first introduced the feature, I thought it was really gimmicky. It's a feature that allows you to record up to 10 seconds of video and then uses AI to suggest the best photo or GIF.

It's for things like blowing out birthday candles or sporting events. I didn't think I'd use it at first, but after a while, it was actually kind of fun.

Sure, the AI adds some really corny music to the video (as seen above) but I think it's an underrated feature. Especially for those who like to upload a lot of lifestyle content to their social accounts.

One of the photos pulled from Single Take.

But it's also available on the S20 and S20+ so, it's not something that makes the Ultra different from the rest of the lineup.

Samsung also improved its super steady function from the S10. In addition to cancelling out motion in four axes (up, down, and side to side), it also cancels out sways up to 60 degrees in either direction.

And let me tell you, it's very smooth. I'm not calling myself a video director or anything, but it literally looks like I'm using a camera dolly.

Somewhat impressive but unnecessary zoom

Let's talk Space Zoom. As I mentioned before, the S20 Ultra provides up to 100x lossless zoom. And, while that sounds super cool, it's really not that useful.

It's frustrating to go past 30x, because the camera gets super shaky and it's tough to zone in on your subject.

Below are some examples of different zoom levels. (I am very sorry to this couple for being creepy.)

I took these images while standing on the rooftop of my friend's apartment building, which looks out onto the Highline.

Both 10x zoom and 30x zoom are fairly impressive in terms of quality. And capturing the couple that close up wasn't difficult.

But then there is 100x zoom below. Is the S20 Ultra clearly capable of capturing shots this close up? Yes, it is. Are these photos usable? Definitely not. I mean, where am I going to post something like this?

100x zoom. I am sorry to this couple that I am so creepy.

Here's another example of 100x zoom below featuring the Statue of Liberty. I have tons of these photos but there's no point in even sharing them considering they all look like this one. Blurry, low-quality, and unusable.

Can anyone even tell this is the Statue of Liberty?

Like I mentioned before, it's not as simple as pointing and shooting. The Space Zoom feature requires a tripod to stabilize the shot.

While the Ultra uses motion-stabilizing AI software to help with the shot, the camera is super sensitive. So you'll need some additional help if you want to truly get that phone to stay still. The targeting guide can really only do so much.

It's worth mentioning the photos zoomed in at 30x are a lot better quality. Here are a few examples:

They're not the crispest photos. But consider the iPhone 11 Pro only has up to 10x zoom and the Pixel 4 only has up to 8x zoom.

Zooming in at 30x at a concert is useful. 100x zoom is not. That's why it's probably better to save money and opt for the Galaxy S20 or S20+, which also go up to 30x zoom, instead of the Ultra.

Where in the world is 5G?

Ahh, 5G — the ultimate buzzword. But it's here, folks. Sort of.

The S20 Ultra and S20+ have sub-6 and mmWave capabilities. The Galaxy S20 only has sub-6 5G.

It doesn't matter much right now, though. Especially if you don't live in an area where 5G is available.

Don't feel pressured to buy this phone solely because of 5G, unless you don't plan on upgrading your phone for years, and are willing to wait until it hits your area.

However, it is available in certain cities across the country, including New York. So I went out and took some speed tests. And, well, I was unsuccessful. But I'm not giving up just yet.

I'm going to continue to hunt down 5G service based on Verizon's map, so check back for an update.

But the fact that I have to hunt for it should be enough to convince you that enabling 5G is not as easy as just stepping outside.

Should you buy the Ultra?

Unless you're a photographer or videographer, you're better off opting for a less expensive phone. Seeing as how the Galaxy S20 and S20+ come equipped with all of the same features, minus the 100x Space Zoom, you might as well splurge on one of those phones instead.

There is just no getting around the fact that the Ultra is excessive. But it still deserves a high score. It has a beautiful display, impressive camera sensors, and runs smoothly.

You're likely not going to use all of these features.

It's just a little upsetting that the phone's 100x Space Zoom delivers such low-quality results. And we'll have to wait to see if Samsung fixes the autofocus.

If you're looking for more realistic photos that give you more of a blank canvas for edits, then you're better off with the iPhone 11 Pro Max. If saturation doesn't bother you as much, then the Pixel 4 XL is a less expensive option.

Regardless, when I used it as my main phone, I never fully took advantage of all of its features. I only zoomed in 100x because I wanted to test the feature. I never found a reason to record in 8k because I don't have an 8k monitor to stream on. And 5G service was difficult to find.

It's also freakin' massive. In order to actually get good shots, you need to carry around a tripod.

If you have the money to spend and the content to shoot, then feel free to purchase it. Now, will someone hand me that adorable Cloud Pink Galaxy S20 for my tiny hands, please?